There are times when the facts of a real event can read like a low-budget Hollywood tearjerker; that’s the way the 1917 Christmas story begins. As the big day neared, Americans were being told to sacrifice for the war effort, that meatless and breadless days were needed to save food. To conserve fuel, coal supplies and electrical service were limited, and citizens were urged to send packages to those in uniform.
The New York Herald of Dec. 19 explained there was another crisis: “The shortage of Christmas trees this year is due to…
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